Colorado health exchange is headed toward tougher audit

DENVER BUSINESS JOURNAL - Finally, Republicans and Democrats have found a point of agreement regarding the Connect for Health Colorado insurance exchange  that it needs a more thorough audit.

The state House of Representatives' Health, Insurance and Environment Committee voted 9-2 on Thursday to approve House Bill 1257, which allows the Office of the State Auditor to do a performance audit on operations of the state-chartered Internet insurance marketplace.

Currently, the office can only examine the use of money going through the state to the exchange.

Sponsoring Rep. Dan Nordberg, R-Colorado Springs, said the state should be able to examine whether the exchange can be sustainable without using general-fund tax money by next year and whether its systems that hold personal information on more than 80,000 insurance buyers are secure from breaches.

And, after the exchange had to place a top official on paid leave earlier this month following her indictment on charges of stealing from a former employer, he wants to examine its hiring practices, too, he said.

Two Democrats objected, saying the audit is unnecessary and will tax the exchange's resources while it's trying to get people signed up for health insurance. But they were outvoted on the proposal that came out of the Legislative Audit Committee.

"If this is going to be the venue and the avenue through which Coloradans receive health insurance, I think we have responsibility as a state," Nordberg said. "We can assure we are doing everything possible to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars."